Interested to learn how agile project management is used in businesses today? The numbers don't lie! Dive into our curated list of up-to-date agile statistics.
Whether you're determining if Agile is the right framework for your team or getting to grips with the complex glossary of project management, you’re in the right place.
We’ve pulled together the most up-to-date statistics on Agile to help you understand how this framework is used in businesses today, its impact on project success, and what challenges those using Agile face daily. Let’s get started!
Agile has its pros and cons, as we’ll explore later in this article, but there’s no denying it’s the go-to project management approach for organizations prioritizing speed, productivity, and scalability.
Before we jump into the numbers, let’s recap what Agile is, which methodologies it encompasses, and how this framework has developed since its inception.
Agile is a group of methodologies that prioritize collaborative work, adaptive planning, continuous improvement, and — as the name suggests — a degree of agility in response to change. The umbrella term ‘Agile’ encompasses multiple methodologies and frameworks, with Scrum being the most popular, as confirmed by Digital.ai's recent 16th State of Agile report. When asked which methodologies they’re leveraging, respondents answered as below:
Agile was originally developed in the 1990s to aid cross-functional teams working on software projects as a flexible alternative to traditional project management approaches, such as waterfall. In 2001, 17 software developers came together to create the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, which outlines the 12 principles and Agile values that define the framework.
Over the next decade, methodologies like Scrum, which emphasizes collaboration and iterative delivery, gained traction. Agile expanded beyond software development and began influencing the broader project management profession.
In the 2010s, new frameworks were developed to help scale Agile in large organizations, and Lean principles, such as Kanban, were integrated to refine the methodology further.
While Agile started as a set of process-focused principles, it has since evolved into a philosophy that underscores the importance of business-wide agility and culture.
Today, dozens of industries make use of Agile practices. The respondents to Digital.ai’s 16th State of Agile report stated they work in the below industries, which each uses Agile methodologies in different ways:
The remaining 16% of respondents stated they work in telecommunication (4%), transportation (3%), energy (3%), education (2%), and others (7%).
Agile is widely considered to be the most popular project management approach, but is this true? Let's look at the Agile adoption statistics.
As more businesses adopt Agile practices, more teams will need Scrum Masters, one of the most desirable roles in businesses using Scrum. What's the bar of entry for those looking to qualify as a Scrum Master?
Agile has evolved beyond its origins, with HR to marketing teams making use of Agile methodologies. Here are some of the most interesting statistics exploring Agile’s use across industries.
Agile has gained popularity in public sector institutions around the world, including the U.S. government.
Deloitte found that, by 2017, 80% of U.S. federal IT projects were Agile or iterative compared to 10% in 2011, while 78% of U.S. government executives surveyed believed using Agile and DevOps methodologies had a significant positive impact on their organization.
In its State of Agile Culture report, JCURV wrote that Africa has the highest agile culture score (79%) of all organizations interviewed across all continents, while North America had the lowest score at 32%.
More recently, there's been a rise in the popularity of Agile marketers.
Agile Sherpas reported marketing teams using Agile identified that they could prioritize work more effectively (76%), improve team productivity (73%), improve the quality of marketing (71%), and improve team morale (64%).
However, the biggest barriers preventing marketing departments from fully implementing Agile approaches include that their current process is working well enough (33%), a lack of training or knowledge about Agile approaches (25%), and a lack of support from management or executives (17%).
When Agile Sherpas asked which popular Agile frameworks and practices marketing teams use, they responded:
Interestingly, Agile is also becoming increasingly popular among HR professionals.
A Gartner survey revealed that 63% of HR leaders already use some variation of Agile methods and principles, with State of Agile HR finding that the top reason for adopting Agile methods is motivating current employees. Plus, 65% believe the Covid-19 pandemic positively influenced the transformation towards Agile HR.
We’ve established that Agile has transformed project management practices across industries. But does it work?
Agile may be incredibly popular, but it isn’t without its challenges. According to the data, many of the problems teams using Agile approaches struggle with relate to company culture and support from higher-ups.
After the top challenge of plans changing too often (33%), Agile Sherpas found that people reverting to old (non-Agile) approaches is a big pain point for Agile teams (29%), followed by difficulties managing unplanned work (28%), suggestion challenges with effective capacity planning.
Respondents who identified as being ‘not satisfied’ with Agile practices at their company highlighted ‘company still has many legacy systems requiring mixed approach’ (42%), ‘it is not used consistently across teams’ (40%), and ‘clashes with company culture’ (40%) as the top reasons.
Unsurprisingly, effective utilization, supported by resource planning, is key; McKinsey research found that 46% of respondents agree or strongly agree that during sprint planning, their teams ensure that everyone is fully utilized.
Agile is a popular choice for organizations looking to modernize their processes. However, there appears to be a disconnect between the higher-ups who drive company culture and the teams who seek to benefit from this transformation.
KPMG found that 62% of top management believe Agile has no implications for them, and 32% stated that their agile transformation has no support from top management. Ironically, 59% of respondents mention culture and performance management as their key challenges in their shift toward agility.
When respondents to Digital.ai were asked what the leading causes of unsuccessful delivery with Agile were, the most popular answers were ‘company culture’ (41%), a ‘lack of management support’ (38%), ‘inefficient management collaboration (26%) and an ‘inability to continuously prioritize work’ (25%).
Agile is all about iteration, so what's next?
While Agile continues to gain traction, there is still work to be done if businesses want to make the most of this framework's undisputed benefits. As a lack of support from management and a misaligned internal culture are among the top challenges Agile teams face, leaders must do more to align Agile work with business value.
At a team level, you can support your team in adopting Agile techniques, begin delivering more impactful Agile projects, and encourage greater Agile transformation by investing in improved capacity planning and cultivating a culture that encourages flexibility and continuous improvement.
